On the Pitch
by totallymindless
Summary: Remus had beed frightened of flying since his seventh birthday when his grandfather decided he was old enough to take their only broom for a ride. He ended up with three broken bones and sawdust for a broom. But everyone has to face their fears, right?
1. On the Pitch

On the Pitch

A tubby, round faced, mousy-haired boy, know as Wormtail, sat upon the sheet-less mattress of his bed watching the boy to his left intensely as he explained in vivid detail the manner, in which a fellow female classmate thoughtfully sucked on a sugar-quill in class the day before.

James, was his name, though the three in the room referred to him as Prongs. He was dark haired and animatedly speaking, not to the only one listening with rapt attention, but the other young man across the room lounging, listlessly in his sloppily, thrown together, mess of a bed. James seemed not to realize his best friend's disinterest in his subject, or simply did not care.

Without warning a fifth person entered the room, causing the final boy, Remus Lupin, to turn his attention from the pages of a book that held him entranced with it words only seconds before. She was bright-eyed and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. His blue eyes stared at her; he couldn't prevent them from scanning her lithe body, the way her little black shorts clung to her shapely legs. Mentally berating himself, Remus forced his eyes back to the words in his book, though they did not hold his interest long, as they blurred together, forming nothing but dark lines across the page, his mind only focusing on the conversation between the young woman and his friend. He wasn't sure when he started having _these_ kinds of feelings for his classmate and closest female friend, but he cursed the gods for allowing it to occur.

As she entered, she asked for Sirius. She always did. They had known each other since childhood. Lucy was the only one of the acquaintances Sirius had kept after disowning his family. He called her a friend, a sister, a fling. They flirted endlessly; it was the only way they communicated. It had been that way sense the beginning of time. Neither belonged to another; he _could_ not; she would not. He was a natural born charmer, while she was a natural flirt. They were the kind of people who many claimed were made for each other, but in reality, they were as mismatched as Peter Pettigrew's plaid shorts and tie-dyed shirt.

Sirius' black hair fell into his eyes as he sat up to greet her, flashing her that smile that would cause most of their female classmates to go weak in the knees. She just rolled her copper eyes, wordlessly, telling him to shove-it. Her hand waved gently in greeting to the others in the room before she spoke. "Hey, Sirius? Can I borrow your bat? My parents confiscated mine; Davy hasn't sent it yet." Unwittingly, the edges of Remus' mouth curved upward at the sound of her voice, at her wordless rejection of the self-proclaimed 'ladies-man.'

Sirius made some ridiculous comment that anyone else would have slapped him for, but Lucy simply ignored him. Her attention drawn to the horrid condition of his beaters bat before she even noticed he was speaking. Remus' eyes followed the bat as she spun it easily in her hand. She didn't notice. She never did. Lucy was not the type to realize what those around her were thinking. She lived in a world of rainbows and butterflies, well, maybe not _quite_ that childlike. She did not see the bad things in the world unless they were forced upon her. Not that Remus' affections were bad; they were just confusing. Once he decided what he felt, she would take notice and welcome him whole-heartedly, but until then she liked her peace.

She reached the door before he realized it. He had expected her speech on Sirius' lack of concern for his sports equipment to last longer. Normally, when she was engaged in conversation about Quidditch it lasted for at least ten minutes. Shrugging a "later guys," she twisted the doorknob to leave. He wasn't sure what make him do it. Possibly, the odd look and nudge Sirius gave him, perhaps, his desire to get away from James' constant rambling on all matters pertaining to the redheaded beauty that was Lily Evans. Most likely, though, it was the way she smiled encouragingly at him, or at least Remus thought it was encouraging.

"Hey Luce, wait up. I'll go with you. It's not safe to fly alone." He attempted to mimic Sirius' heart-stopping grin. It didn't work, but she giggled nonetheless.

Her eyes were contented, sweet even, as she gazed up at him. "Alright, but I doubt you'll be any help if I fall. I remember our first flying lesson." He casually rose from his bed, stowing his wand in his pocket as he stood.

She held the door open, taking a step back toward the frame so he could walk passed. His chest gently brushed up against hers as he passed by and he was forced to clear his throat slightly before speaking, as it seemed his heart decided to jump to rest just above his collarbone at the brief contact. "Perhaps, you could give me a lesson. I am sure you would be a much better teacher than our dear Mister Cromwell."

The little bow that was her mouth parted as she smiled revealing perfectly straight, white teeth. "I doubt even I could teach someone who fainted the moment the broom touched his hand." The melody of their laughter drifted up the stairwell and through the crack of the seventh year boys' dorm door. Sirius Black smiled, thinking, "_Damn he is good."_

They walked side-by-side down the many stairs and corridors that fill the Hogwarts castle, slowly making their way down to the Entrance Hall and out onto the grounds, idly, chatting about this or that, the useless conversation between old friends turning into new lovers. The soft silk skin of her arm grazed across his as she skipped off the last step at the castle entrance and onto the deep, green grass the covered the grounds. His heart skipped another beat. Shaking his head, he pondered what had caused this sudden change. What had caused him to have these indescribable feelings about someone he once considered one of his dearest friends?

Lucy's laughter filled his ears as he attempted to mimic her and stumbled forward nearly tumbling to the ground. Shaggy, dirty-blond hair fell into his eyes as she helped steady him. His skin tingled under her touch. The dimples on her cheeks showed as she grinned up at him, carefully tucking his hair behind his ears. He was caught, staring into the infinity of her eyes as she trailed her fingers down his jaw her thumbs coming to rest under his chin and the tips of her finger spread out across his cheeks. "Your eyes; I never noticed the green flecks before." He gave a lopsided grin and desperately wished he had the nerve to kiss her as she spoke. Her heart leaped forward in her chest as his simple features morphed into a boyish grin, the green flecks she had failed to notice within the six years that they had known each other, sparkling in enchantment.

He didn't kiss her. He hated himself for it.

The path to the pitch was filled with an awkward silence. A silence that most would not have endured, but she was distracted by the weather and the affect it would have on their flying conditions; he was determined not to screw this up, so he held his ground and refused to flee.

Finally, reaching the middle of the pitch, she sighed a contented sigh, eyes closed, her arms spread wide above her head, taking a deep breath to fill her lungs with the cool air that quickly calmed her nerves and ebbed away the stress of the week. He watched her, eyes wide in wonder. She was unlike anyone he had ever known. Her tan skinned glowed in the warm afternoon sun and her golden hair glittered as she moved. He had spent so many days knowing her, but not _knowing_ her. He wondered why.

She quirked one eye open and smiled up at him. "So, I run about eight laps before I start. It is about two kilometers. I think. You know where the bleachers are if you want to sit it out. Try to keep up if you decide to join me." She took off at an unhurried pace and turned around, running backwards to see what he would do, grinning madly, all the while.

Remus peered down at himself. He had not dressed for a workout today. He was wearing his casual Saturday attire; long kaki shorts, a simple white T-shirt, tube socks that raised high up his calves and faded gray tennis shoes. Not exactly made for running, but it would do, he supposed.

Smirking at her cheeky grin, he took off after her.

A fourth of the way into the second lap, Lucy turned to him, her smile spreading from one ear to the other. "Ready to step it up a bit?" He chuckled and nodded as she sped away.

He collapsed in the middle of the field, laying flat on his back, spread eagle, staring up into the clouds. Lucy came to stand above him, each foot on either side of his chest. Breathing heavily, he looked up at her. "I guess I will go find you a broom, while you catch your breath," Lucy said as she rolled her eyes. "Two kilometers and you would think I asked you to run a marathon." Her smirk vaguely resembled that of Sirius'.

When she stepped over him, he idly thought about tripping her for her cheeky remark, but he was just too tired.

He was up on his elbows when she returned, smiling gently. Dropping the broom to the ground, she offered him a hand up. He blinked at it. She grinned, "Come on, Moony, I swear it won't bite you."

"It's not you I am worried about," he muttered slipping his hand into hers and allowing her to help him off the ground. His fingers continued to tingle long after the contact this time.

"Okay, first, get your broom up," she said simply, standing near her broom, and lazily gesturing toward his.

Remus swallowed down the fear that threatened to overwhelm him. He had only had two experiences with flying in his life; both ended horribly.

His fingers shook slightly as he held his hand out over the broom. Looking down at it, he inwardly cursed himself. He was such a fucking idiot.

"Now, you say 'up'." Lucy grinned, unable to hide her amusement at his fear. She had known Remus Lupin for years and if it had not been for the constant teasing he endured and she overheard by the one and only Sirius Black she would have thought him fearless before now.

He tittered a little, his knees unexplainably wobbly. "Right, right. Okay, then." He took a deep breath and spoke firmly, "Up." The broom remained lying on the ground.

"Say it like you mean it. _Up._" Lucy informed him, tucking a dark blonde lock of hair that and fallen from her high ponytail behind her ear.

"_Up._" He repeated mimicking her tone. When the broom refused to rise, he looked to her, hopelessly.

She gave him a small smile. "You are making it more difficult than it is." Shaking her head, she stepped forward, and came to stand behind him.

Fighting down a shiver, Remus forced himself to focus on anything but her hand on his shoulder. If he hadn't been before, he was sweating now. "Alright, just relax." _Dear God, you try to relax when your heart is about to pound out of your chest._ Biting down on his tongue, he bobbed his head.

Lucy began to see little spots of perspiration forming on his neck, darkening the edges of his hair. "Relax," her voice was soft and calming and if it had not been for the images of her speaking that way in a completely _different_ situation it might have helped. She slid her hand down his arm coming to rest at his elbow. "Okay, hold your arm out just a bit." He complied, focusing his thoughts on the color of the grass. "Good. Now," her fingers lightly caressed his skin as she moved further down his arm stopping at his wrist, "breathe." he released a shuttering breath and she giggled, slightly. "Now, fingers loose. There you go. Like your in water, just let your arm float away from you." He felt her fingers trail across his palm and down to his fingertips. "Very good," her voice was a little breathless and he began to wonder if she was doing this to him on purpose. He could see her doing something like that.

"Now, don't look at the broom. If you are looking at the broom, you are looking at the ground and that is not where you want to be. You want to be in the air. So, look out toward the horizon, just above the tree tops find something and focus on it." He tilted his head up and gazed out into the sky. There was a shimmering white cloud floating just ahead, it looked oddly like a chocolate bar. He murmured an "okay" once he picked his destination.

"Okay, good. Say 'up'." He did and the smooth, cool wood of the broom handle made contact with his skin.

"And, you didn't even faint this time." Lucy smiled and patted his shoulder. He chuckled and for some odd reason felt absurdly proud of himself.

"Next up, mounting," Lucy, informed him cheerfully and he tried not to cry.

Lucy could not resist the urge to pat his perfectly shaped ass as she moved to stand in front of him, again. Remus jumped forward, startled, but they both pretended not to notice.

"Mounting is easy. Simply toss your leg over and you're on." She grinned up at him and he swallowed hard.

Carefully, tossing his leg over, he gripped the broom handle for dear life. Lucy bit her lip to keep from laughing. He frowned at her and whined indignantly, "You've never been bucked off one of these damn things before. You have no idea what it is like!" She could not contain her laughter anymore.

She had to grab a hold of his arm to steady herself after about two minutes of non-stop chuckling. "Sorry," she whispered, her voice still full of giggles.

"I am glad you think it is so funny," he growled, still clinging to the broom as if his life depended on it.

"Okay, okay. I am sorry." Her eyes bright with merriment, she released her grasp on his arm and took a step back. "First, loosen your grip." When he did, she placed her hand over his gently sliding it forward on the broomstick. She adjusted his fingers one by one, having to pry each one off before she could direct it to the right position. "You steer with your left hand. Like when you are driving. Your right hand," She pried his right hand off the broomstick and pulled it away from him. "It's used to change the radio, shift gears, fiddle with the A/C and smack Sirius whenever he starts miss behaving," she continued, moving his hand this way and that. He ceased breathing during the entire speech.

"Remus?" He glanced at her, eyes wide with fear. "Breathe."

He did and felt much better once his brain received some much-needed oxygen. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Quite alright. On to your feet." She smiled, releasing his hand, which shot back down to the handle.

Resting her hand on his thigh, she slowly slid it down to his knee. He closed his eyes in momentary delight before realizing what he was doing and clearing his throat. "Slowly, move your feet back to the pegs." His heart lodged in his throat and she saw it. Gently, patting his knee, she said, "It's okay, I've got you. Plus, you are like three feet off the ground. No worries." He gave a nervous laugh before following orders.

The grin on her face was worth all of it, he told himself as she beamed up at his accomplishment. "Now, to the good stuff!" she said excitedly. His heart, which had finally returned to a somewhat normal position in his chest, dropped down to his stomach.

"To turn right. You simply lean right, and look right. That's all it takes." He didn't believe her, but he did it, anyway. It didn't work.

"Remus, you have to tell the broom where you want to go. It's like… surfing. You can't go where you want to go, unless you know where it is you are going." She pushed back a lock of hair that had fallen in his face, blocking her from his view. "Look, relax. Go somewhere you feel at peace." She stopped and placed her hand on the broom handle. "Close your eyes." He obeyed. "Now, picture yourself on the beach. The sand between your toes, cool water gently sweeping it all away as the tide rolls in and back out again, the salty spray of the ocean against your face. That perfect set just _waiting._ The suns barely rising and the clouds are every shade of beautiful you have ever seen. There. Are you there?" He nodded, his breathing returned to normal. The clouds were copper. Copper like shiny new pennies. Copper like her eyes.

"Good. Now open your eyes and look right." He did and he turned right. Lucy tumbled to the ground as the back of the broom collided with her side.

"Oh, shit!" he shouted. "Lucy, I–"

"Relax," she chuckled, picking herself of the ground. "I have had worse spills than that. Of course, usually, I am on a broom when someone knocks me over. But, hey, something new every day, right?"

He smiled at her grinning face, little flakes of freshly cut grass in her hair. "Right."

"Time for left, I suppose," she told him, "but, just let me move first." She scurried in front of him and gave him a nod of approval. He turned left. "Smashing! Best student I ever had. The only one too… but I suppose we shouldn't mention that." She grinned and he could not help, but smile back; there was something about her, something that would not let him stop smiling.

"Now, to back up, you simply put a little weight in your heels. That's it!" she exclaimed when he succeeded on his first try. "Forward, the weight in you toes." He shot forward and barely managed to stopped mere inches in front of her. "Stopping, you figured out on your own." She laughed and for some strange reason he became ridiculously happy.

She called her broom to her and mounted with ease. "Now, we fly," as the words left her mouth he didn't feel so happy anymore.

"To go up, you simply pull back on the handle. See?" She gently pulled back on the handle of her broom and she rose a few feet in the air. Closing his eyes, he mimicked her. He flew upward. It was much easier than he had previously thought. "And to get back down it's just the opposite." He nodded, pushed forward and dropped the few feet back to his safety net.

"Ready?" Lucy asked. Remus stared at her wide-eyed.

"I-I don't think I can," he stuttered, suddenly becoming a ball of nerves once more.

"Of course, you can." She tilted her head to the side and smiled at him.

_Of course, I can. _Of course, he could. Lucy had told him he could. She rose up into the air and flew in large circles and he followed her with ease.

They continued to fly, until the sun set low behind the trees, the clouds taking on deep purple and red shades before blurring away into the dark sky. He landed a few feet behind her as she stood staring out into the forbidding forest, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to protect her from the cold night air. She leaned back into him, laying her head against his chest.

"Lucy?" he whispered. She nodded and looked up at him, her copper eyes tranquil, and her smile sleepy, but there just the same. "Lucy, I…" He didn't know how to say it, so he just said it, "I want to kiss you."

Her little bow of a mouth opened, slightly before she closed it, again, along with her eyes. It felt like an eternity before she opened them, again. "Then do it." He stood shock-still, staring at her unbelievingly. He had expected her to say "no." He always expected them to say "no."

Remus continued to stare at her dumbfounded, so Lucy stood up on her toes and gently pressed her lips to his. He smiled slightly against her mouth before wrapping his arms around her waist and taking the lead.

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End.

_Author hangs cardboard sign around neck, that has the words _God is Dead_ crossed out in bright red marker and replaced with _Review and I'll give you COOKIES_ in blue ink, and perches on the edge of the curb, smiling brightly as the streetlight halts you. She screams, "Wait! I can dance, too, if you want! Please, don't leave without reviewing!" running after your car as the light flicks green. _


	2. Lucy Lou, I Love You

Author's note: The next two chapters are highlights in the Lucy/Remus romance, during their seventh year at Hogwarts. Like, On the Pitch, they tie in with Dear Harry. I believe this one conicides with chapter 17 or 18.

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Lucy Lou, I Love You

Remus Lupin woke suddenly cold despite the roaring fire in the stone hearth and dozens of quilts piled over and around him. He felt as if something had been wretched away from him, something ripped away from his soul. It was amazingly frightening considering he had no idea what and caused this abrupt onset of sorrowful and miserable emotions overtaking his heart. Closing his pale blue eyes and breathing deeply he searched his mind for a fragment of a dream that might have caused this heartrending feeling. Not locating anything, he attempted to shake the overwhelming sensation and moved to snuggle closer to Lucy. She was not there. The soft lump next to him was not the tiny dark blonde girl he had fallen asleep cuddled up with but a large quilt rolled up to resemble a body.

"Lucy?" he whispered, his voice aching with worry. He did not receive a reply. Frantically, launching himself into an upright position his eyes sought out the tiny feminine form of Lucy Morgan in the dim light of the fire. A deep sigh of relief escaped his full lips as his blue eyes found her, curled up on the window seat. The iridescent light of the almost full moon playing on her tiny features twisted slightly in anxiety. A thick pale green quilt draped around her small body before pooling on the floor below her, one lightly tanned leg and her small arms peeking out from under the green that surrounded the rest of her. A few strands of dark blonde hair escaped from a loose bun at the base of her delicate neck. Her big copper eyes stared unblinkingly through the ice-covered window as a small shiver crawled up her spine.

Noiselessly, he stood, tugging a patterned blanket around his bare shoulders. He watched her captivated by her rhythmic breaths and unmoving form. Lucy never sat still, not even in her sleep. After coming to stand by her side, he twisted a thin strand of hair around his calloused finger before tucking it behind her ear and resting his hand on her petite shoulder. She did not move; her breaths remained as even as ever, her eyes stayed focused solely on the world outside slowly filling with snow. "Lucy," he murmured and she pulled her plump bottom lip into her mouth sucking on it thoughtfully, but that was her only sign of acknowledgement of his presence. "What's on your mind, love?"

She did not withdraw her gaze from the white world outside and her voice was barely above a whisper. "My name. I told Martin I was going to change it. I was just trying to be cruel, but now, I don't know, I am thinking maybe I should. It just seems like the best way to make the break final. Permanent." There was an immense sadness, a longing, a deep-seeded desire for something she had lost, even though it never had existed, she had only desperately tried to believe it was real, that caused an aching in her bones, in her heart. And her heartache was excruciatingly obvious in her somber expression, her faint voice, her unwavering gaze on the world outside.

The fact that he could see her pain made him feel as if someone had drove a dagger into his chest. Lucy Morgan hid her emotions. Lucy Morgan did not need someone to console her. Lucy Morgan could handle everything on her own. And this show of sorrow was only an inkling of the heartbreak she was feeling, the heartbreak that was killing her. Remus pressed his lips to her hair trying to offer some sort of comfort; Lucy merely closed her eyes and let her head fall against the icy glass of the window. "Have you thought of what you might like to change it to?" he asked softly, not changing the subject to what was really bothering her. She didn't want that. She didn't want to cry anymore.

"No," she answered faintly, her warm breath fogging the cold window.

A smile tugged at his lips as he thought of surnames that would sound well with Lucy Lou. "What about Lupin? Then you would be Lucy Lou Lupin. It's an alliteration." He asked lightly, partly as a joke, partly in extreme sincerity.

Lucy did not respond for a long moment and his stomach clenched in a most painful fashion. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to decipher the meaning behind his words. Finally, a strangled little laugh escaped her lips and she looked up at him. "Was that a proposal, Moony?"

He didn't know. He really, truly didn't know. Was it a proposal? Was it a joke, just to lighten the mood? Did she want it to be a proposal? Was he ready to be engaged? Or even more, to be married? "Uh," his mouth seemed to be unable to form any words. It seemed perfectly content just hanging open as he stared at her sad little closed mouth smile.

She watched him struggle, watched him deal with the expected question he had so easily posed, watched it confuse him as much as it confused her. Committing to _this_ relationship had been difficult enough for her, coming to terms with the reality that it was okay to fall in love was one of hardest things she had ever done. Was she really ready to take it even further? She had just spent hours screaming about the atrocity that was marriage. She had just ended any semblance of a relationship with her parents because of marriage. Because she did not want to be married. Yet, here she was seriously considering throwing her arms around this man's neck and screaming "yes" until her voice became hoarse and refused to make sound any longer.

"Yes," he decisively answered and as the word left his mouth, he realized he had never been more positive of anything in his life.

Her jaw fell completely shattering the tiny bow shape her lips took on when she smiled that sad little smile. He smirked slightly as he turned the tables on her. Lucy didn't know how to answer him. She wanted to say yes, she really did. But she wasn't ready for this. She just wasn't. So, instead of trying to put that into words she slowly rose to her knees, the thick green quilt slipping from around her as she wound her arms around his neck, kissing him.

Remus stood in shock for an infinite moment as her tongue gently asked for entrance. She eased the patterned blanket off his shoulders and it pooled in floor around his bare feet, mingling with her green one. Their skin, newly exposed to the cool air of the room, broke out into goose flesh as their tongues danced around each other, tasting the familiar tang that belonged to only them. "Lucy," he moaned against her hair, his hands memorizing the feel of her skin, as she slowly nibbled her way down his jaw, sucking on that little patch of skin just behind his ear. His heart pounded in his chest with a dull ache. She wasn't going to answer him; he could feel it. "Please, Luce, you have to say something. Anything." ­

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She nodded resting her head on his shoulder and hugged his body to her. "Moons, I-" her voice broke and she placed a tiny wet kiss on his neck to delay her answer. Sliding down to sit on the edge of the of window seat, her legs bent under her, she pressed her forehead against his bare abdomen breathing deeply, her arms tightly wrapped around him. He carefully stroked her hair waiting for her to speak, his long fingers entangling in her dark blonde locks. She tilted her head up and he held her cheeks in his hands. "I love you, Remus. I swear; I do. I just, that's so big." Her voice was less than a whisper now. He kneeled down on the pile of blankets in front of her, briefly brushing his lips across hers.

"I'm sorry, sweets, I shouldn't have asked that. I was just-" she shook her head fiercely and he stopped speaking.

"No, Moony, no. That's not what I mean. I want to… eventually, but gods, Moons, we're barely eighteen." Her copper eyes locked on his pale blue ones. They mirrored her trepidation.

"I know," he breathed against her lips. "What if we just promise that one day we will? Not anytime soon, just one day, we will make it official, okay?"

Lucy nodded slowly, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder. "So, it's the same just… tweaked a little?"

"Yeah, we stay the same, but it will make my life a lot easier years from now when I do decide to make a real proposal, with a real ring, because you already promised to say yes." He whispered cheekily, his lips brushing across her temple with each word.

"Then, I don't need to get my name changed because I will have yours, eventually?" she asked in a pleased tone, her warm breath tickling his ear.

"Exactly." He leaned back in her arms to see her face, his fingers interlacing behind her back.

"Lucy Lou Lupin. I like that," she murmured before kissing him again, smiling against his lips. He slid his hands from behind her back and up to her breasts, cupping the small firm mounds and grazing his thumb across the little hard peaks that were her nipples. She shivered in desire, her head falling back a bit, and a tiny sigh escaping her parted lips. "You're cruel," she whispered, looking at the ceiling with unopened eyes. He smirked knowing she wouldn't see it because her eyes always fluttered closed after he did that.

His chest rumbled as he chuckled, "only a little," in her ear before kissing his way down her neck. Lucy moaned throatily as his mouth found her breast, her tiny hands tugging at his shaggy hair. She slipped her legs out from under her, dropping them from her seat and attempting to wrap them around him, but he halted her movements, sliding his large hands down to her thighs and dropping his head lower and on to her stomach, kissing her cool skin vehemently. She called out his name leaning back against the frigid window, which immediately turned a frothy white as the contrasting temperature of her skin made contact. The harsh shiver that quaked through her body brought Remus' attentions away from his affections and back to her face.

As he lifted his gaze, she sat up slipping off the edge of the seat, squeezing between him and the wall. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she gave him a tiny push and guided him down to the floor. She straddled him and covered his neck, his chest, his stomach with vicious little kisses, leaving tiny little marks in precise locations. He groaned gutturally as her mouth moved lower. "Luc-" he started his voice husky with desire, but she cut off his words by bringing her focus back to his mouth, kissing him passionately. Not wanting to let her dominate for long he rolled her over pinning her shoulders to the floor. She gave an annoyed little squeak but the majority of it was muffled as he brought his lips crashing back down upon hers. When they were both aching with need he plunged within her. She gasped in surprise but it quickly turned to moans of pleasure urging him on as their bodies swayed in their erotic dance. She screamed and arched up against him as waves of ecstasy washed over her and soon his deep voice melded in with hers as he erupted inside of her.

Afterwards, they laid sedated, side-by-side, slick with sweat and panting slightly. Lucy rolled over sitting up a little and kissed him, just above his collarbone, before resting her head on his chest. He smoothed her hair and kissed the crown of her head. "Moony?" she whispered.

"Mm?" came his sleepy reply.

"I was thinking." He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at that statement; she was stalling, again.

"Yes, love?" he urged her on.

"Well, does it ever feel weird… when I call you Moony when, uh, I am… well, having an orgasm?" He fought down a chuckle. Only Lucy would ever ask such a thing.

"Why?" he asked.

She sighed heavily, her breath washing across his skin, sending it into delightful fits of tingling. "I don't know, I was just thinking, Moony is what the guys call you and that's a little weird… you know, me screaming out a nickname that Sirius probably gave you."

He did chuckle this time, drawing an intricate across the bare surface of her back. "It will probably be weird now."

"Sorry," she muttered a little self-consciously.

"'S alright. Maybe you should just try calling me Remus. That is my name you know."

A little hum buzzed in her throat before she propped herself up on her elbow, chewing on the side of her lip. "But, Remus is so… McGonagall calls you Remus. Thinking about Sirius and James while we have sex is bad enough. Could you imagine picturing stern-faced Minerva McGonagall while we are shagging? God, I don't think I would be able to have sex, again." His hoarse laugh made her grin and look embarrassedly to the left, her cheeks staining red. "I'm sorry. I am totally killing the afterglow."

"No, no," he chuckled tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Your odd little thoughts are intriguing." Smiling up at her, he watched her cheeks flush red again. "Okay, so, Moony is a no because Sirius calls me that. Remus is definitely a no because from this day forward an image of Professor McGonagall will pop into my head every time you utter that name in your sexy voice. I am just going to assume Lupin is out of the question because both Slughorn and Snape refer to me by my surname. So what's left?"

Her petite little shoulders bounced up into a shrug. "I don't know."

"What about John? My middle name is John." He traced her bottom lip with his thumb and watched her copper orbs tilt upwards as she pondered the newly proffered option.

The corners of her mouth quirked up morphing her plump little lips into a tiny rosy-red smile. "How about Johnny? That way it's a little more personal."

He lifted himself up onto his elbows and brushed his lips against hers, "very good," he breathed against them. She smiled brightly at him, revealing her straight white teeth, as he slumped back down to his back on the floor. Lying down on her side beside him, she rested her head on his bicep and draped her arm across his middle. He turned slightly wrapping his free arm around her and bending his other so he was able to play idly with her hair until she drifted off into peaceful slumber. "Gods, I love you, Lucy," he whispered quietly kissing her head once more before falling into sleep himself.


	3. You're Mine

Author's note: If I am correct, this chapter falls in at about chapter 23 in Dear Harry.

* * *

You're Mine

Remus Lupin stared down at the tiny hand resting atop the deep purple duvet draped across his chest. The little fingers were slightly curled under, hiding short, neatly trimmed, unpolished fingernails, a tiny platinum band wrapped around the ring finger. He had put a lot of thought into that ring for it to be such a simple thing. It sat carefully nestled in his pocket for three months, even during the time they were apart. Ever since New Years, when he had proposed without really thinking, and she had told him she couldn't. He had understood, had even been somewhat relieved at the time. Now though, when he thought about it, he wished she hadn't been so afraid of the commitment then, maybe it would have prevented their split. Probably not, but maybe.

Not that it mattered, now anyway, she was his. Every bit of her. And that simple little ring proved it. Lucy Lou Lupin. She was his.

He turned his gaze from the hand to its owner, her head nestled in the crook of his arm, eyes closed, sandy blonde hair spread out across her bare back where the covers had been pushed down. A smile tugged at his lips as he gently brushed away the few strands of hair resting on her cheek. She mumbled incoherently in her dreams as his fingers grazed across her skin and the corners of his mouth lifted into a full smile.

His gaze returned to the little hand on his chest, deciding to let her sleep a bit longer, thinking maybe he should fade back into it himself. It had been such a long time since he'd slept, after all. He didn't get a chance to, however, as she seemed to have felt his quiet observation and stirred slightly, languidly bringing that tiny hand forward and caressing his cheek. "G' Orning, Moon hee," she murmured sleepily, lifting her head and smiling her dazed, little, half-asleep smile.

"Morning, Luce," he chuckled as she unwillingly slipped back into sleep, falling slumped, draped across his chest. He idly drew circles on her back with his fingers, coaxing her from sleep, as he spoke, commenting on the newly furnished bedroom. "I like the bed; when did you get it?" His eyes gazed up at the deep purple canopy, with its long sheer hangings trailing down the deep cherry posts.

"Hmm… you wouldn't talk to me," she sighed, "James and McGonagall put some kind up some kind of alarm on the pitch… didn't have anything better to do… I shopped for two weeks straight. Nothing left in my account." Her words were muffled and sleepily spoken as she refused to lift her head from its place, burrowed in the space between his shoulder and his neck.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," he whispered, stroking her hair, letting his fingers entangle in the silky locks. "I really am."

She shrugged, not changing her position. "'S not your fault." Remus lapsed into disagreeing silence and she sat up, sighing heavily. "I thought we said we were going to forget it. I don't want to have a huge, stormy, rain cloud hanging over our relationship, Moony."

Smiling softly at her, he tucked her hair behind her ear. "Our marriage," he corrected her, "and, I'd prefer to be stuck in the rain with you than somewhere dry and warm without you."

"You're too good for me, Moony," she murmured, kissing him gently. "It needed to happen anyway, you know."

"What?" he frowned; _she needed to sleep with his best friend_.

Tugging the sheet around her shoulders, she smiled sadly. "If it hadn't, I never would have found out about my heart. Then what would have happened? Five years from now, I could have been pregnant with our child and died during delivery because of heart failure. I mean, wouldn't that have been worse? You'd stuck with a kid that looked like me without me."

He rolled his eyes, propping himself up on his elbows and brushing his lips against hers. "So, you are no longer an existentialist, then?" He didn't want to think about her dying. He didn't think he could live without her.

Lucy smiled, gazing into his blue eyes with those little green flecks that she loved so much. "I love you, Moony and I don't deserve you. My actions couldn't have played any role in what created us. If there wasn't fate, I wouldn't have ever even met you. If I had to take the responsibility of my actions, I never would have received the honor to love you, much less the privilege of receiving your love in return."

"I suppose, I should kiss you now," he smiled softly, "After making an assertion like that."

Biting her bottom lip, she blushed. "Only if you want, too."

"Oh, I do," he murmured, bringing his lips to hers before guiding her down to the pillows.

Lucy grinned, "Mm, dessert before breakfast."

"Mm hmm," he murmured, burying his face in her neck.

O

Sighing heavily, Remus trudged down the stairs. Lucy was taking way too long, by the time she got out of the shower he would have shriveled up and died due to hunger. He entered the kitchen, and it was, like everything else in the house, freshly painted and freshly decorated. James would have been better off to let her practice, she was getting just as much exercise overhauling her no– he mentally corrected himself, _their_ house. Opening the fridge, he found, unexpectedly, it stocked full of everything he could imagine. If anything, he has expected to find a package of licorice wands, not full to the brim with actual groceries She hadn't been lying when she said she spent the entire time shopping.

He shuffled around through the cabinets, looking for supplies, intent on making breakfast. They wouldn't have to leave so soon if he cooked. He hummed a little as he worked, mixing together his grandmother's pancake recipe in a large brightly colored mixing bowl. Just as he turned on the stove, he heard her voice. "Whatcha, doing, Moony?"

Without turning around, he shrugged. "Making pancakes. I thought this way we won't have to go back up to the school 'til late tonight. The guys can cover for us today. God knows, I have done it for them plenty of times before; they owe me."

"Lovely idea," she perched up on the kitchen island, popping a few slices of banana into her mouth.

"What took you so long in the shower? You weren't having fun without me, were you?"

Lucy blushed, "No," she mumbled, cheeks full of fruit.

Turning to her, with a sly grin he said, "Eating my–" he cut off as he saw her; sitting there, perched up on the counter top in nothing, but a pale yellow, baby doll negligee, that hugged her perfect, little breasts, before splitting opened to reveal her tanned little stomach and tiny, lacy, yellow panties. Swallowing hard, he stuttered, "W-what are you wearing?"

Lucy's cheeks flushed even pinker and she glanced out the window. "Well, Cole said, that the best way to get you back was to show you what you were missing, so she took me shopping." Gazing back at him, hesitantly, she traced the thin pick scar on her chest with her fingers; it was becoming her new nervous habit. "I didn't have the guts to wear it, but I thought, since… I don't know." Slipping off the counter, she shrugged, staring at the floor. "I can go change, if you don't like it."

"Oh, no," he whispered, stopping her, placing his hand under her chin and tilting her head up to him, "No, Mrs. Lupin, you can stay right here."

"I love it when you call me that," she said softly, grinning widely at the use of her new name as she stood up on her toes and kissed him. Remus quickly turned the simple kiss into much more, delving his tongue into her mouth and slipping his hands to her hips, gently lifting her off the floor and placing her on the counter. Not letting him attempt to pull away from her Lucy quickly locked her legs around him, pulling him tightly to her. They didn't separate until a burning aroma invaded their noses. "Shit," Remus muttered, and Lucy sighed disappointedly, letting him go. "I forgot to turn off the stove." He waved his hand, trying to rid the room of smoke.

"You forgot to make the pancakes," Lucy laughed.

Sliding the skillet off the hot burner and onto a cool one, he flicked off the stove. "Do you still want pancakes?" he asked, planning to ignore the rumbling of his stomach for an entirely different appetite. His stomach growled loudly and he mentally cursed the thing as Lucy chuckled.

"Well, I am supposed to make sure I eat at least three times a day. Supposedly, my appetite was going to lessen or something. I don't think it did, but I never really ate much, but licorice anyway," Lucy informed him, "And, you sound rather hungry."

He nodded, flicking the burner back on and dropping a bit of butter into the skillet. Damn his loud, impatient stomach to hell. Trying to move his attention from how inviting, she looked perched up on that counter behind him, and how wonderful she tasted; he asked, "What else did the Healers say?"

"Mm, that I am supposed to build up to my old exercise routine slowly, limit the stress in my life, stay in a controlled temperature, and make sure I get plenty of sleep." She popped another slice of banana in her mouth as he poured a bit of the batter into the pan.

"And have you been doing all of that?" he asked

With a tiny bounce of her shoulders, she said, "I guess. Darla makes me take a sleeping draught every night. James won't let me on the pitch. Sirius and Lily watch me like a hawk to make sure I am not over doing it. The stress thing… well, you know what I have been like."

"Yeah…" Remus nodded. She had been an emotional train wreck for weeks; when she wasn't crying, she was screaming; when she wasn't screaming, she was crying. He had done that do her. Lucy was usually the most at peace person in the world, but after what he had said and what she had done, well, she hadn't really been herself.

She interrupted his train of thought, before he apologized again. "I should be able to go back to playing in a few weeks, though. Madam Pomfrey said I could start flying again Monday as long as I take it easy and there is someone out there with me."

Smiling as he flipped the pancake, he turned to her. "Well, that's good. You don't function too well without your daily dose of fresh air."

"I don't function too well without my daily dose of _you_." She grinned, eating another bit of banana.

"We aren't going to have any left to go on our pancakes, if you keep eating them, love."

"Hmm," she sighed, "I guess, I'll stop then." Slipping the finished pancake onto a plate and pouring some more batter into his skillet, he smiled at her tiny childlike pout.

She watched him finish another pancake before asking, "Moony, what was up with all the "I Love Lucy" references last night?"

Chuckling, he turned back around. "One: I was drunk. Two: I have been watching reruns all night long, every night, since I saw you in the hospital. And three: I was drunk."

Tilting her head to the side, she frowned, wrinkling her nose. "Why?"

Remus shrugged his shoulders. "I missed you; watching another Lucy kind of took my mind off it, I guess."

"Oh," she responded simply.

He flipped another pancake out of the skillet and unto the large stack piled up onto his plate. "Well, I suppose that's enough."

Lucy nodded and hopped off the counter. "Can we eat them in bed?"

"Mm, I don't know." He contemplated the idea, aloud. "We've already christened the bedroom, the bathroom and the living room. I think we should rid you of that delightful little outfit in the dining room after we finish breakfast. That's what tables are for, after all," he concluded, as he divided the pancakes slathering them in syrup and banana slices.

Giving him a grin, Lucy nodded. "I suppose you are right; we really should spend today shagging in every place imaginable, other wise we won't be able to call it home."

Remus leaned over and kissed her nose. "Exactly. And honestly, Lucy, when will you learn? I am always right." He smiled wolfishly, patting her bum and giving it a nice little squeeze. "Now, fill up some glasses with pumpkin juice and meet me in the dining room." Shaking her head in amusement, she made her way to the fridge. He was such a dork, but what did that matter? He was _her _dork.

O

Lucy watched him sleep peacefully, sprawled out across their dining room table, a thin patterned blue sheet draped across his chest. He was dreaming his eyes kept flicking back and forth beneath his lids. She bit her lip, leaning forward just a bit to brush his hair out of his face. He was beautiful she decided. Not in the way, Sirius was beautiful. No, Sirius was classic: strong aristocratic features, silky dark hair that fell into his deep grey eyes just so, and that mysterious little smile on his lips that just begged to be kissed. Remus wasn't like that. No, Remus, boyishly handsome with gentle, loving eyes, and a wry grin that made her heart melt. He was so kind, so unbelievably kind. He was amazingly forgiving. He had no right to be that forgiving and yet he was. She had fucked up so many times when it came to him and he'd just smile, hug her tight and say, "That's alright, love. We all make mistakes." She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve him.

"Hey," the sound of his hoarse, groggy voice drew her away from her thoughts. Her eyes flicked to his and she gave him a tiny smile. "You're awake."

"So are you," she answered simply.

He placed his hand on her thigh, interlacing their fingers. "You're watching me sleep."

"Yes," Lucy nodded, "you were dreaming."

"Hmm," he murmured, sitting up and tugging the sheet around her shoulders. "It's a little chilly in here; you're supposed to be staying warm."

Shrugging, she laid her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his middle. "I'm alright. No need to worry."

"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly. Lucy was rarely this quiet.

"Are we going to tell everyone?" she breathed, closing her eyes, and kissing his neck.

His fingers entangled themselves in her hair, and he pulled her closer. "Do you want to tell everyone?"

"Don't know. It's kind of odd. Yesterday we weren't even talking and today were… married, you know?"

Chuckling, he nodded. "Yeah, I know. You don't regret it, do you? I mean, if you do we can–"

"No!" she almost shouted, pulling back and gazing directly into his eyes. "No. Never. I want to be with you forever, Remus and this… it's perfect. I love being yours. I love belonging to you."

Pressing his lips to her forehead, he whispered, "I love belonging to you, too, babe."

"We are weird," she laughed, shaking her head after a moment.

"Mm hmm, we are. Though, what exactly did we do this time that was weird?" he asked, laying back down, trying not to be too obvious as he took in the perfect view the position gave him of her body.

She pulled the sheet up over her head, smiling down at him. "We fight, you get drunk, we make up, we get married. How many people wake up in the middle of the night, and just get married? Honestly, Remus, that's what we did. We had marvelous make-up sex and then found the only justice of the peace alive who would wed two eighteen year-olds at three o'clock in the morning." Grinning widely, she lay across his chest, nuzzling against him. "Moony, I got married in my pajamas."

Laughing, he kissed the top of her head. "Well, we could always have a real wedding some other time if you want," he offered. He hadn't really thought of that last night. Maybe Lucy had a dream wedding that he had totally ruined by waking her up before dawn and telling her he didn't want to wait anymore, that he just wanted them to be married, right that moment.

"No," she murmured. "It was perfect. I wouldn't want anything different. I don't want anything more than you."

"Good, because, that's pretty much all you are getting," he teased, tickling her side. She wiggled and laughed until he stopped, and answered her question. "Why don't we just tell the guys and Lily? We can tell everyone else that matters after graduation."

"You don't want to tell your grandparents?" she asked, placing affectionate little kisses up his neck.

"Mm," he sighed, trailing his fingers across her back. "To prevent them from having a heart attack, I think you should meet them at least once first. But, we can tell David if you like."

She nibbled at his earlobe, "Davy will tell my parents. He never keeps the big things a secret. Just the little things."

"Alright then, just Lily and the guys." He grinned.

Sitting up, she stared at him inquisitively. "Do you think if we told Dumbledore he'd let us move in together somewhere? Like Cole and Hunter?"

He chuckled, climbing off the table and pulling her to him. "I doubt it, but maybe we can kick Peter out of the dorm and send Sirius of to live with Cole." He took her hands and wrapped them around his neck before scooping her up.

"We can't do that. Poor Peter wouldn't have anywhere to go," Lucy said, laying her head on his shoulder. "Hey, where are we going anyway?"

He kissed her quickly. "We've already shagged in the dining room. We have to move somewhere else, now. I was thinking the spare room next to the bedroom."

"You mean my Quidditch room?"

"You're Quidditch room?" he asked. The last time he had seen it, it was just a bare room, with giant windows.

Lucy nodded. "Yep, I put all my Quidditch stuff in there."

"Well, fuck," Remus groaned. "We won't fit in there then."

Lucy laughed, shaking her head. "Well, dear husband," she smiled, "there is a desk in there."

He grinned. _Husband_, he was her _husband_. "And how big is this desk, my lovely wife?" She shrugged, not really remembering. "Well, it will have to do. Or I will just transfigure it into something that will. We are not leaving this house until we can call it home," Remus announced, trudging up the stairs.


End file.
